Expanding Multilingual Voices in Social Studies Discussions: One Teacher’s Responsive Practice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Teaching for Justice: Centering Identity, Voice, and Real-World Relevance in Diverse Classrooms

Abstract

This longitudinal case study examines how an early-career social studies teacher developed responsive discussion facilitation practices with multilingual learners (MLLs). Framed by Culturally and Linguistically Relevant Citizenship Education (CLRCE), the study follows one teacher through her first three years of teaching in a dual-language urban middle school. Using classroom videos, teacher reflections, and interviews, we explore how Renee’s practices evolved to support MLLs' academic, civic, and linguistic participation. Findings illustrate how she increasingly enacted pedagogies of success, cross-cultural connection, and language development, highlighting the power of bilingual discussion and culturally grounded facilitation. This study contributes to research on democratic discourse by offering a detailed portrait of practice-based teacher learning in support of linguistically diverse classrooms.

Authors

• Timothy Patterson, Temple University

• Lightning Jay, Binghamton University - SUNY

• Brian Tauzel, Western Washington University

• Ashley Taylor Jaffee, Princeton University

• Jenni Conrad, Oregon State University